


Action and Consequence

by humandisastersquad



Category: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead - Stoppard
Genre: Gen, Screenplay/Script Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-26
Updated: 2013-06-26
Packaged: 2017-12-16 06:09:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/858739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humandisastersquad/pseuds/humandisastersquad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Existentialism, noun: A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in an indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Action and Consequence

**Author's Note:**

> Was working on another one shot for these two and this spawned. Anyway, hope it's not too bad.

GUIL: Why does every conversation we have seem to lead to this?

ROS: What?

GUIL: These debates... about...

ROS: Existentialism?

GUIL: Yes, ironically.

ROS: Ironically?

GUIL: Well, for us, I suppose.

ROS: What do you suppose? 

_ROSENCRANTZ absentmindedly takes a coin out and tosses it._

GUIL: I don't get the feeling that the universe is indifferent. Well, ours, anyway.

_The coin lands._

ROS: Heads.

GUIL: Exactly.

ROS: Exactly what?

GUIL: A coin has been tossed and, what now, two hundred and twenty seven times it has been heads.

ROS: Two hundred and twenty six.

GUIL: What?

ROS: It was tails, that one time, when-

GUIL _(coming to a realisation)_ : The Player.

ROS: The Player?

GUIL: Yes, the Player. He bet on the coin that time. He's not so indifferent to the universe and the universe is not so indifferent to him.

ROS: So he's... different? Not the same.

GUIL: Same as what?

ROS: Same as us?

_GUIL sits next to ROS, adopting the same position_

GUIL _(defensively)_ : We're not the same.

ROS: Yes we are.

 _GUIL attempts to change to another position but returns to assuming ROS's pose  
  
_ GUIL _(sighing)_ : Yes, we are.

ROS: I don't think we get a choice in it...

GUIL: Or anything for that matter.

ROS: Do you ever wonder what we've done to deserve this? ...Or maybe what someone else has done.

GUIL: And we're bearing the consequence?

ROS: Like a maintainance of Action and Consequence.

GUIL: So you're saying that, in the great workings of the universe, in order for some sort of equilibrium of responsibility, if it is impossible for an individual to be handed their due payment for their actions that the burden shall be distributed to others. Is that what you're getting at?

ROS: Well, look at the Lord Hamlet; he doesn't seem to have had much consequence upon his actions

GUIL: Yet.

ROS: Or maybe he has been dealt them before.

GUIL: Yes, nasty business that.

ROS: And nastier still now.

GUIL: I'd hate to be the one bearing those consequences.

ROS: Yes. I don't think it would end well for them.

 


End file.
